Harford Women’s Basketball Drops Third Straight, Falls to Burlington, 89-41

From the HCC Sports Desk…

PEMBERTON, N.J.—The Harford women’s basketball team dropped its third straight as it fell, 89-41 to Burlington County Community College on Saturday afternoon in Pemberton, N.J.

Freshman Sarah Spalt (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) led the Fighting Owls (0-3) with eight points and six rebounds, while freshman Kiara Reeves (Aberdeen, Md./C. Milton Wright) contributed six points and eight rebounds.

Monique Stephens led the Barons (3-0) with 17 points, while Nadirah Brown added 16 points and three other Baron players tallied double-digit points in the rout of Harford.

The Fighting Owls return to action on Wednesday, Nov. 19 when they travel to face Anne Arundel for a 7:00 p.m. tip-off.

Harford Men’s Basketball Downs Rockingham, 89-82; Advances to Cape Fear Tournament Championship

From the HCC Sports Desk…

WILMINGTON, N.C.—The Harford men’s basketball team earned a berth in the championship game of the Cape Fear Basketball Challenge as it defeated Rockingham, 89-82, on Saturday night at Cape Fear Community College.

The Fighting Owls (2-2) opened the Cape Fear tournament at the Schwartz Center on Saturday and took just a one-point lead into halftime, but outscored the Eagles (2-2), 46-40 in the second 20:00 on the way to the championship-qualifying win.

Freshman Troy Burgan (Akron, Ohio/North) led the way in the victory, notching his second double-double of the season with 17 points and 11 boards, while shooting 6-for-11 from the field, 2-for-3 from behind the arc and dishing out four assists.

Freshman Jesse Volk (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) contributed another 14 points and 4 rebounds for the Owls, while freshman Butch Faulcon (Riverside, Va./Salem) added 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds.

Tarelle Jackson led the Eagles’ campaign, tallying 21 points and grabbing seven boards, while assisting on another three buckets.

Rockingham held the lead for the majority of the first half, albeit a slim one, until the Owls took their first substantial lead with a 9-0 run over 2:17 to hold a 35-29 advantage over the Eagles with 5:01 to go, but Rockingham battled to back to just a one-point deficit, 43-42 at half.

The second half was a back and forth affair, much like the first 20:00 of play, but the Owls pulled away in the last five minutes to earn the 89-82 win and advance to the championship game.

The Fighting Owls will face Cape Fear, who defeated Frederick in the late game on Saturday in the championship game at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, while Frederick and Rockingham will play in the consolation game at 1:00 p.m.

Newspaper Box Score
Harford vs Rockingham
11/15/08 5:00 p.m. at Wilmington, N.C.
At Wilmington, N.C.
HARFORD 89, ROCKINGHAM 82
HARFORD (2-2)
Burgan,Troy 6-11 3-3 17; Volk,Jesse 3-7 8-9 14; Perkins,Lionel 5-9 0-0 12;
Holleman,Jasper 3-8 3-3 10; Faulcon,Butch 4-7 2-4 10; Claiborne,Kartrell 3-7
2-2 9; Hill,Ian 3-8 0-2 6; Dell, Gabe 2-5 1-2 6; Lewis,Deonte 2-3 0-2 5;
Mead,Kevin 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 31-68 19-27 89.
ROCKINGHAM (2-2)
Jackson, Tarelle 7-12 5-5 21; Williams, Kenny 6-13 3-4 16; McRae, Alyn 5-7
0-0 13; Allison, Terrell 4-6 2-2 10; Johnson, Brandyn 4-13 2-2 10; Braboy,
Jarvis 3-5 1-3 7; Clarke, Anthonie 0-7 3-4 3; Handy, Jonathan 1-1 0-0 2;
Lockwood, Daniel 0-1 0-0 0; Watson, Chris 0-1 0-1 0. Totals 30-66 16-21 82.
Harford 43 46 89
Rockingham 42 40 82
3-point goals–Harford 8-22 (Perkins,Lionel 2-6; Burgan,Troy 2-3;
Lewis,Deonte 1-2; Dell, Gabe 1-2; Claiborne,Kartrell 1-1; Holleman,Jasper
1-3; Mead,Kevin 0-3; Volk,Jesse 0-2), Rockingham 6-20 (McRae, Alyn 3-4;
Jackson, Tarelle 2-5; Williams, Kenny 1-4; Braboy, Jarvis 0-1; Clarke,
Anthonie 0-4; Watson, Chris 0-1; Johnson, Brandyn 0-1). Fouled
out–Harford-None, Rockingham-None. Rebounds–Harford 43 (Burgan,Troy 11),
Rockingham 43 (Johnson, Brandyn 8). Assists–Harford 18 (Holleman,Jasper 4;
Burgan,Troy 4; Dell, Gabe 4), Rockingham 10 (Jackson, Tarelle 3). Total
fouls–Harford 17, Rockingham 19. Technical fouls–Harford-None,
Rockingham-TEAM. A-109

Spalt Named All-Tournament As Harford Women’s Basketball Drops Two Straight To Open Season

From the HCC sports desk…

BEL AIR, Md.—Freshman Sarah Spalt (Forest Hill, Md./Fallston) was named to the Third Annual Harford Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament team as the Harford women’s basketball teams opened the 2008-09 campaign with two straight losses over the weekend.

Spalt tallied 17 total points and 13 rebounds for the weekend while shooting 9-for-12 from the free throw line. The rookie put up four points and grabbed five boards in the Fighting Owls’ (0-2) 85-33 loss to Delaware Tech on Saturday and then added 13 points and eight rebounds in Sunday’s 57-50 setback to Salem.

The Owls were plagued with a dismal 22.5% field goal percentage in the loss to the Spirit (2-0) in their season-opener, and connected on just two buckets in the first half, with 12:30 between those field goals.

Freshman Kiara Reeves (Aberdeen, Md./C. Milton Wright) led Harford with six points overall, going a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity stripe, while Dohnay Banice, who was also named to the All-Tournament team, came just one point and one rebound away from a double-double for the Spirit and Rayona Benson led Del Tech with 14 total points, shooting 6-for-11 from the field. Fellow All-Tournament honoree Shyntae Christmas added nine points and three boards of her own in the win over Harford.

Banice and Christmas added 12 points and 14 rebounds and 22 points and five rebounds, respectively in their 69-40 win over Anne Arundel on Sunday, securing a share of the championship title along with Salem.

Shaquasha Sharper was the Oaks (2-0) designee to the All-Tournament team, putting up a double-double with 20 points and 15 rebounds in Salem’s day 73-62 day one win over Anne Arundel and added her second double-double of the weekend with 18 points and 11 boards in the Oaks’ 57-50 win over Harford.

Sophomore Jasmine Parsons (Edgewood, Md./Joppatowne) tallied a double-double for the Owls as well, totaling 14 points and 11 rebounds, and shooting 7-for-9 from the field.
Harford saw itself down 24-5 with 8:55 remaining in the first half, but ran off 15 straight points over the next 5:51 to cut the deficit to four points with 3:04 to go, ending the half down just six points, 29-23.

The Owls cut Salem’s lead to three points on five different occasions—the last occurring with 1:26 left in the second half with the Oaks up, 53-50, but could not come any closer as they fell, 57-50.
Ashley Hansen led the Oaks in the win, totaling 20 points, while also grabbing seven rebounds and shooting 2-for-3 from beyond the arc as she helped Salem to a share of the championship.

The only other player named to the All-Tournament team was Anne Arundel’s Danielle Webber, who totaled 11 points and 23 rebounds on the weekend.

The Fighting Owls return to action on Tuesday, Nov. 11 when they kick off a three-game roadstand at Montgomery College-Rockville at 7:00 p.m.

Harford Men’s Basketball Finishes Runner-Up; Burgan Named To All-Tournament Team

From the HCC sports desk…

BEL AIR, Md.—Freshman Troy Burgan (Akron, Ohio/North) helped Harford to a second-place finish and was named to the Third Annual Harford Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team as the Harford men’s basketball team fell in the championship game last weekend.

Burgan totaled 34 points on the weekend, shooting 9-for-16 from the floor and 16-for-21 from the free throw line and added 15 rebounds and seven assists. The rookie put up a double-double with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while shooting 6-for-10 in the Fighting Owls’ (1-2) 81-62 win over Mercer on Saturday and then added 16 points, four assists, and was a perfect 10-for-10 from the charity stripe in 91-77 championship game loss to Erie on Sunday.

The Owls built a slim, 33-29, halftime lead over the Vikings (1-1) on Saturday, but outscored Mercer, 48-33 in the second half to earn the 81-62 win. Fifteen of Burgan’s 18 points and eight of his 13 rebounds came during the second half, in which Harford shot 52.8% from the floor.

Freshman Jesse Volk (Bel Air, Md./C. Milton Wright) added 20 points for the Owls, shooting 7-for-13 and 4-for-4 behind the arc, while Josh Caver, who joined Burgan on the All-Tournament team, led the Vikings with 15 points, five rebounds, six steals, four assists and three blocks, while shooting 7-for-10.

Caver tallied a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds in Mercer’s 83-71 win over CCBC-Essex on Sunday, while Essex’s contribution to the All-Tournament squad, David Ford came just one board away from a double-double adding 18 points and nine rebounds for the Knights (0-2)Ford also shot 4-for-5 from the field and recorded 10 points and four boards in Saturday’s 91-67 loss to Erie.

The Owls struggled from the floor in Sunday’s championship, shooting just 37.1% from the field and 29.2% from 3-point range, while the Kats (4-1) were 51.5% from the floor and 46.7% from behind the arc.

After 20 minutes of play, Harford saw itself down, 44-34, but quickly made up ground thanks to a 9-0 run in just over two minutes that put them within two points of Erie, 50-48, with 15:09 left to play. The Kats, however, answered with a 9-1 run of their own to take a 59-49 lead with 13:19 left and after the next Harford bucket by Volk, the Owls would come no close than 10 points for the rest of the game, falling 91-77.

Freshman Jasper Holleman (Richmond, Va./Matoaca) was the only other Harford player to score in the double-digits as he contributed 11 points, while freshman Deonte Lewis (Petersburg, Va./Dinwiddie) added 10 boards for the Owls.

Tola Lawal and Tijani Idris, the Kats representatives to the All-Tournament team led the way over Harford tallying 17 points and six rebounds and 14 points and four boards, respectively. Lawal also added a tournament-high 26 points and added five rebounds in Erie’s 91-67 win over Essex, while Idris notched a double-double with 17 points and 15 boards.

The Fighting Owls return to action this weekend when they travel to Wilmington, N.C. for the Cape Fear Basketball Challenge beginning with a 5:00 p.m. matchup against Rockingham on Saturday.

Basketball, Video Games And Shirley Temples With Extra Shirley - If Only All Pro Athletes Were Like Aberdeen’s Jai Lewis

I didn’t get “jobbed” by poor officiating. There was no weeping. No fainting. International professional basketball player Jai Lewis, as far as I know, didn’t contemplate a trip back into the NFL. (However, there was a time that I contemplated a new career path - more on that later.) No two-on-two with any other suckers looking on. No wheelchairs or off-the-wall antics. It was a night of straight-up fun.

There was a little nail-biting on my part. Jai didn’t get to the ESPN Zone for our big dance till late. It was about 8:45 p.m. So once 8:15 p.m. rolled around, I started clamming up and I wondered, what if he doesn’t show? Nah! By 8:30 p.m. I had called home to have Neil check my email. I texted Brian: “Jai’s not here.” By 8:31 p.m., I was contemplating my chosen career. What was I thinking? I can go back to waiting tables, I can run a snowball stand. Why’d I challenge him? Maybe my taunting went too far - after all he doesn’t really know me? Continue reading Basketball, Video Games And Shirley Temples With Extra Shirley - If Only All Pro Athletes Were Like Aberdeen’s Jai Lewis

Hoops Pro Jai Lewis Comes Home From Israel To Put A Dagger Writer In Her Place

He hails from Aberdeen, stands 6′7″, weighs 275 pounds, led his college basketball team to the NCAA Final Four, was signed out of college to play football in the NFL and now is a professional basketball player holding his own in Israel.

She hails from Joppatowne, stands 5′5″, won’t tell me how much she weighs, admits to occassionally “horsing around” with her neices on the basketball court, formerly covered all manner of sports for the local media and is now holding her own as sports director of The Dagger.

He is Jai Lewis. She is Molly Lauryssens. And at 8 p.m. Wednesday at ESPN Zone in downtown Baltimore’s Inner Harbor the two forces will meet in a head-to-head shoot out when Jai returns to town. Continue reading Hoops Pro Jai Lewis Comes Home From Israel To Put A Dagger Writer In Her Place

“Get Ready For More History To Be Made” CBS’ Tafoya Predicts “Most Anticipated NBA Finals In A Decade”

The East versus the West: Celtics take on the Lakers. Two Number One seeds. Larry Bird versus Magic Johnson: old school. Kobe Bryant versus Kevin Garnett and company: new school. This will be the 11th time these franchises are set to clash on the court. The Celtics own the Lakers in championship play with an 8-2 record. However, the Lakers won the last two in 1985 and 1987. In total championships, it is much closer: Boston has an NBA-high 16 titles and the Lakers are snaking in with 14 (9 in L.A and 5 in Minneapolis).

“Sure, there is history between the Celtics and Lakers. But get ready for more history to be made. We are about to see the most anticipated NBA Finals in at least a decade,” wrote Michele Tafoya in an email.

She should know, she’s been covering the sport for some time as a sideline reporter and holds her own against the behemoths of the NBA. Tafoya has been into sports broadcasting with CBS since 1994 and joined ESPN in 2000. You may also recognize her name from Monday Night Football and her voice from co-hosting ESPN’s Mike Tirico’s radio show. Continue reading “Get Ready For More History To Be Made” CBS’ Tafoya Predicts “Most Anticipated NBA Finals In A Decade”

Live From Israel, It’s NCAA Tournament Time With Aberdeen’s Own Jai Lewis

Breaking down the brackets with Jai…

That’s right, there’s only one Jai and you know him well.

He’s the man who led the George Mason (GM) Patriots on their unbelievable and unforgettable journey back in 2006 when they quietly turned the NCAA Tournament Brackets into frappe. He’s the man who helped put the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) on the map with the big dogs. He’s also the man who has taken his skills on the road in Israel where he’s currently playing basketball.

He’s our very own Jai Lewis of Aberdeen and he’s talking college basketball with me. So thanks to electronic mail direct from Israel, let’s get down to business. Here’s what Jai has got to say about the upcoming Madness. It’s Jai Time…

Continue reading Live From Israel, It’s NCAA Tournament Time With Aberdeen’s Own Jai Lewis